Fantasy Premier League

GW8 Forwards #6: Roberto Firmino

By The Scout 7 Oct 2017

The third-most sold player in FPL, should managers keep faith in Brazilian or turn to his popular team-mate?

As we face a forward crisis in Fantasy Premier League, The Scout is looking at six candidates to help managers pick their attack.

Roberto Firmino (LIV) £8.5m

The form

Firmino’s early-season form has dwindled and left him struggling to remain in Fantasy contention.

The Liverpool striker supplied a goal and an assist in two of the first three Gameweeks, earning maximum bonus points twice.

But he has since failed to produce points in four successive fixtures.

He was also dropped to the bench for the Gameweek 7 trip to Newcastle United, with Daniel Sturridge (£8.0m) leading the attack.

The statistics

Firmino has fired 15 shots over the opening seven matches. But only six have arrived in the last four Gameweeks.

The Brazilian has mustered only one shot on target since Gameweek 4.

His underlying numbers are very similar to 2016/17, when he produced 11 goals and 11 assists in 35 appearances.

His minutes per shot (31.7 this season to 30.7 last) and minutes per chance created (39.6 to 40.3) are almost identical.

The prospects

Jurgen Klopp’s decision to omit Firmino from his teamsheet has triggered heavy sales.

Only the injured duo of Sergio Aguero (£11.5m) and Alvaro Morata (£10.3m) have lost more owners ahead of Gameweek 8.

With his form and pitch time in question, FPL managers should perhaps limit their interest to Klopp’s midfield.

Despite a dip in form, Mohamed Salah (£9.2m) remains a key attraction. He is ranked first among midfielders for shots (24), shots in the box (21) and shots on target (14).

Philippe Coutinho (£8.9m) has supplied two goals, an assist and six bonus points since returning to action in Gameweek 5.

Liverpool face testing fixtures against Manchester United (H) and Tottenham Hotspur (A) next up.

But according to the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR), seven of their nine matches between Gameweek 10 and 18 score no more than two.

Coutinho and Firmino will arrive back late from international duty with Brazil ahead of Gameweek 8’s early kick-off versus Man Utd.

That puts further doubt on the forward’s minutes, and his form makes it difficult to show patience.

The Scout's verdict: Firmino could remain on penalties for Liverpool but form, short-term fixtures and uncertainty over his pitch time limits interest to the Reds’ midfield, at least until Gameweek 10.